Altarpiece of the Passion

This rectangular high-relief altarpiece may have adorned the altar of a chapel in the abbey church of Saint-Denis, but this is not certain. Another hypothesis is that may come from the Saint-Gervais church in Paris.

In any case, it is one of the most beautiful preserved examples of the art of the altarpiece in Île-de-France in the middle of the 14th century. Six scenes from the Passion of Christ (from left to right: the Arrest of Christ, Flagellation, the Carrying of the Cross, Entombment, Resurrection, Descent into Limbo) are placed under arches supported by small columns and crowned with openwork gables and arches.

This highly elaborate microarchitecture frame alludes to a monumental structure such as a rood screen, as if the scenes were housed in a space akin to the church where the faithful gather.

This altarpiece lacks a representation of the Crucifixion, usually placed in the centre. It is likely that we should imagine that it was shown above the altarpiece, in the form of a statue of Christ on the Cross or even a painted image, creating upward momentum as a counterpoint to the horizontal succession of the other scenes.